Rise From the Ashes
by FaithinBones
Summary: This story takes place a few days after the end of season 12.


(Season 12)

This story is for briano1314. I hope this is what you wanted.

I don't own Bones.

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It was quiet. Eerily quiet. The explosion had shattered the glass roof above and there was a faint drizzle coming through the opening in the roof. The slight noises that were made as the water hit some of the exposed metal railings that had survived on the platform were barely noticeable.

The ceiling need to be repaired, the platform had to be repaired as well, the offices rebuilt, equipment replaced. It was a daunting task and he was glad that he wasn't in charge of the Lab and its restoration.

What was left of the platform and the surrounding floors were covered with heavy canvas tarps trying to catch any moisture that came through the open roof. Staring up at the dark sky, he knew that he couldn't see the stars above because of the light pollution surrounding the building. The Medico-Legal Lab was part of the Jeffersonian Institute and it was located in Washington D.C., a city that rarely slept.

Returning his gaze to the Lab, he found the destroyed walkway overhead to be disconcerting. Part of it still existed, but the railings were buckled and he knew that the whole thing would have to be taken down and rebuilt. The breakroom upstairs was gone of course, so for now no one could stand upstairs and look down at the floor below. Gone was the birds eye view that Micah had enjoyed.

The glass walls for each office were now gaping holes. Each office had been swept out of all its debris and workers would soon replace those walls, repair the pitted floors inside along with the ceilings, so that the scientists that used those rooms could resume their work.

For some reason that Micah didn't understand the glass windows above the main entrance to the Lab were still intact. Perhaps because they were recessed into the wall or just because of sheer luck. Micah was sure that he would never find out the answer to that puzzle.

Dr. Hodgins' Ookie room hadn't fared well during the explosion either. Many of the reptiles in the room had died, but it seemed that most of the insects had survived. Security had orders to capture any creatures found alive in the Jeffersonian and place them in one of the several new glass cases lining the walls in the entomologist's office. Dr. Hodgins came in every day to feed his creatures and to do an inventory of them. He was also in charge of the reconstruction of the Lab, but he seemed to be taking it all in stride.

So far, several large spiders had been found as well as numerous beetles. Two snakes had been discovered in Dr. Brennan's office by a security guard that suffered from ophiophobia. The man had screamed when he had almost stepped on the tail of a small python and Micah had been the one to retrieve it and its partner and place them in Hodgins' work room. He understood that some people have fears that they can't control and he had ignored the panic in the other guard. No need to embarrass the man. It wasn't in Micah's nature to chastise someone because of uncontrollable fears. After all, everyone feared something. Some were just more vocal about it than others.

As he walked around the platform, his footsteps echoed against the damaged walls. He found that the more he explored the area, the more depressing the sight became. Micah had always enjoyed working at the Jeffersonian. The exhibitions were there for him to enjoy when the crowds were gone and the only occupants in the building were the security guards and anyone putting in a late night. Sometimes new dioramas were being installed and that meant that interns worked long arduous hours. Some took the work in stride, some were excited to see their work taking shape and some grumbled that the hours they put in were taking them away from their studies or worse their personal time. Micah didn't understand that kind of attitude. The interns were there to learn and he thought it was imprudent to complain about something that would actually add to their knowledge. _You can't help people that want to skate by in life._

Pausing in the doorway of Dr. Brennan's office, Micah leaned against the broken doorway and studied the room. Most of the artifacts had been destroyed. That had made him feel sad when he had heard about it. The office had been filled with odd artifacts from many different cultures. The mummy that had stood upright in a glass case had fascinated him and he had spent more than one late night coffee break staring at the mummy and trying to guess the past of the deceased. There had been Incan pottery in the room, stone figurines, baskets, some jewelry. To think that they had been lost made him angry that someone could just destroy history without remorse.

When he had heard about the bombing, he had been beside himself with worry. Was Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan alright? Since it had been late, was Dr. Hodgins and Ms. Montenegro there? Were any of the interns there? Were any of the security guards present? He had rushed down to the damaged building and waited with the rest of the people that were connected to the Lab that had stood vigil outside the building. He had forced himself to stop holding his breath every time he had seen someone come out of the building. He prayed quietly that everyone trapped in the building was safe. After a few hours and after herculean efforts on the part of the fire department and other emergency responders, he had felt able to breathe normally when he had seen Dr. Brennan, her husband Agent Booth, Dr. Hodgins and Angela Montenegro leave the building. They looked roughed up, but they were going to be okay. Relieved he had returned home and slept the rest of the night knowing that no lives had been lost in the explosion.

Now he was back at work and it was his job to protect what was left of the Lab and to make sure that no one else got into the Jeffersonian and damaged other parts of the museum. He was determined to watch over every inch of the building and his fellow security guards were like minded. Evil had been done to the Jeffersonian and they would do their best to make sure that nothing else happened to it.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt during the bombing." Brennan stepped past Micah and entered her office.

Surprised to see her, Micah followed her into her office. "Dr. Brennan what are you doing here?"

"Someone needs to examine all of the bones in the examinations rooms and recatalog them." Brennan walked over to where her battered desk was sitting next to the wall and opened one of the drawers. Removing two boxes of latex gloves she held them up for Micah to see. "I need to buy some more gloves before I return back to work . . . several of the sets of bones have been placed back in their storage boxes, but there is a lot of work left to be done. I'm going to move all of the bones down to Bones Storage and work in there. That room escaped with only minor damage. Ms. Warren and Dr. Edison will be assisting me, so don't be surprised if you see them in the Lab. We're going to move the bones tonight before the construction workers return tomorrow and then we will avoid these rooms as much as possible."

"I see." Micah shook his head. "I've looked at the examination rooms and it looked like most of the bones were dumped out of their boxes. You have a lot of work ahead of you."

Brennan closed the desk drawer and paused to look around her office. "We all have a lot of work to do, but we will recover from this disaster."

"Yeah, I know." Micah smiled. "That maniac damaged the place, but he didn't destroy it. He failed and thank God for that."

She didn't believe in God, but she chose to not mention that to Micah. Brennan had learned over the years that contradicting the existence of God just created hard feelings with some people and she was tired of that. If they wanted to believe in God then that was their business. "Yes, he failed. We will continue our mission. The Lab will be restored and everyone will be able to return when that is accomplished. I have chosen two new interns this year and they will join me in recataloging the bones with Dr. Edison and Ms. Warren. They will begin working with me on Monday. Once we have finished we will continue to identify the sets of bones in Bones Storage. The Jeffersonian is paying us to work and we will do the jobs we were hired to do."

Curious, Micah followed the forensic anthropologist out into the hallway as she walked down the hall towards the examination rooms. "Will you be working with Agent Booth while the Lab is being rebuilt?"

"Sadly no." Brennan continued to walk towards her destination. "I don't have any equipment to help facilitate my job. I must wait until the Lab is repaired and we have replaced all of our equipment . . . I will work in Bones Storage until then. My husband understands and he will be using the FBI techs to help him on cases. Of course, if he needs my expertise, I will be available for consultations. I am the best forensic anthropologist in the world."

"You sure are." Micah stopped and let Brennan move on her way down the hallway. Checking his watch, he knew that he needed to go upstairs and check the offices. Once that was done, he would make a round of the grounds outside and make sure all was well. Determined to protect the history contained in the Jeffersonian, Micah grimly left the Lab and took the stairs to the floors above. The Jeffersonian had received a blow, but it wasn't a fatal blow. The Lab would rise from the ashes like the Phoenix and it would be there for those who needed it in the future.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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